Inside The Bills

The pass rush of the Atlanta Falcons has been relatively ineffective this season. Their 22 sacks on the season rank 28th in the league, but their pass pressure goes much deeper than that. Their struggles make one wonder if they’ll blitz EJ Manuel much at all today.

When Atlanta blitzes the purpose is to at least force hurried throws, which are hopefully inaccurate and lead to turnover opportunities. That has not been the case for the quarterbacks who have faced the Falcons.

Thus far this season when Atlanta blitzes the opposing quarterbacks have compiled a passer rating of 103.83. For the Falcons that figure ranks 27th in the NFL.

The Bills meanwhile on offense rank fourth in the league in passer rating when blitzed. EJ Manuel, along with some contributions from Thad Lewis and Jeff Tuel have a collective passer rating of 104.97 this season when blitzed, good for fourth-best in the league.

With Manuel being a rookie, it’s likely that the Falcons will see if they can rattle him with pressure, but his success in the face of the blitz could quickly change Atlanta’s mind as to whether it’s the best approach.